The Songs of Ithilorn
by Irony-chan
Summary: Assorted poetry inspired by Lord of the Rings, both books and movies.
1. The Meeting of Aragorn and Arwen

**THE MEETING OF ARAGORN AND ARWEN**  
Composed by the Lady Ithilorn of Mirkwood, based on the account of her brother, Legolas  
Translated into the English of the Seventh Age by Irony-chan

* * *

As Aragorn, called Elessar  
Walked under woodland eaves  
Above him shon the evenstar  
Through gilded Mallorn leaves  
Its light fell on Undómiel  
Lord Elrond's daughter fair  
"O Lúthien, Tinúviel!"  
He sang aloud to her

Then Arwen, called Undómiel  
Turned 'round to look upon  
The man who called 'Tinúviel!'  
'Neath Caras Galadhon  
She said to him, "why, son of men  
"I'd thought I walked alone  
"But yet the name of Lúthien  
"Has never been my own."

"I Arwen, called Undómiel  
"Would ask to whom you cry.  
"Does the spirit of Tinúviel  
"Walk hidden from my eye?"  
And Aragorn, called Elessar  
Replied, "'tis you I see  
"Tinúviel I took you for  
"You can be none but she."

She laughed a laugh like crystal bells  
And cried, "why, son of men!  
"By Elbereth Gilthoniel  
"I am not Lúthien.  
"But if you please then kindly tell  
"From whence it was you came.  
"Who calls to me 'Tinúviel!'  
"And what might be his name?"

"Fair maid," said he, "beside Bruinen  
"Was I, Elessar, born,  
"To Arathorn and Gilraen  
"My name is Aragorn.  
"I come from of the Dúnadain  
"But sooth, there's fear in me  
"That all the honours of my line  
"Are worthy not of thee."

"Why Aragorn, called Elessar,"  
Undómiel replied  
With two twins of the evenstar  
A-shining in her eyes  
"Then you and I are kin although  
"How near I cannot guess  
"For in my veins does lifeblood flow  
"That's shared with Westernesse."

"I Arwen, called Undómiel  
"Am born of Elrond's line  
"And all that's his in Rivendell  
"Is truly also mine  
"My brother Elrohir you've seen  
"And mighty Elladan  
"The sons of Elrond and his queen  
"The fair Celebrian."

"By Amroth and by Nimrodel!"  
Said Aragorn to she  
"O, Arwen! O, Undómiel!  
"Please make not sport of me!"  
"My home has been many a year  
"In Rivendell the fair  
"But never did I see or hear  
"A hint that you were there."

"Wonder not, O son of men"  
Said Arwen unto him  
"I live here in Lothlórien  
"Among the Galadhrim  
"I stay beneath the Mellyrn high  
"By laughing Nimrodel  
"And many years have passed since I  
"Last walked in Rivendell."

Elessar looked with shining eyes  
Upon her standing there  
The wisest of the old and wise  
And fairest of the fair  
"O Arwen! O Undómiel!  
"Your father guards you true  
"For all the wealth in Rivendell  
"Is nothing next to you!"

"Undómiel! O fairest one!  
"Please leave me not alone!  
"For all I want beneath the sun  
"Is you to be my own!"  
Her face was bright as any star  
As she to him replied:  
"If you ask, O Elessar  
"Then I shall be thy bride."

"O Aragorn, O Elessar  
"I choose a mortal life  
"And swear upon the evenstar  
"That I shall be thy wife  
"I Arwen, called Undómiel  
"Give here my heart to thee  
"By Elbereth Gilthoniel  
"In lands beyond the sea."

So lost now is Undómiel  
To where, we cannot say  
She never came from Rivendell  
Into the Havens Grey  
Or sailed 'cross the Western sea  
Her back towards the dawn  
And sadly do we sing of she  
Undómiel is gone

Perhaps this day she wanders still  
In far Lothlórien  
Or maybe dwells in shadow hills  
Among the shades of Men  
The evenstar will rise this night  
As always has and shall  
But never shine again its light  
On fair Undómiel


	2. The Battle of the Peak

**THE BATTLE OF THE PEAK  
**Composed by the Lady Ithilorn of Mirkwood, based on the account of her brother Legolas  
Translated into the English of the Seventh Age by Irony-chan

* * *

In Moria, in Khazad-dûm  
Where high dwarven pillars loom  
Above the stones of Balin's tomb  
Did Durin's Bane lie wrapped in sleep  
Till far beneath the frozen ground  
With crumbling ruins all around  
It slow began to hear the sound  
Of far-off voices in the deep

And sets of footfalls slowly stepped  
Above where Durin's Bane had slept  
As nine companions softly crept  
Through caverns dark and empty halls  
And shadow-flame awoked and stirred  
Inside the darkness as it heard  
The treading foot, the whispered word  
And quiet echoes from the walls

So Durin's Bane began to rise  
A fire kindled in its eyes  
The mountain heard its dreadful cries  
The terror of a distant age  
A shadow spread beneath its wings  
The twilight that to evil clings  
The darkest of the darkest things  
A-burning now with ancient rage

The mountains shivered 'neath its feet  
It shook Celebdil's very seat  
As in the dark, the drummers beat  
The doom of those who trespassed there  
The cavern deeps began to glow  
And magma 'cross the floors to flow  
The mountain ran with melting snow  
And fire shimmered on the air

Its smoke rose in a twisted plume  
Its burning shadow lit the gloom  
And at the bridge of Khazad-dûm  
It found the nine who'd wakened it  
It raised its whip, it raised its sword  
Celebdil trembled as it roared  
While fire from its body poured  
Like water down into the pit

But Gandalf stood and smote the stones  
The mountain shrieked in cracks and moans  
As fires battled in its bones  
With shape and shadow, sword and spell  
"You shall not pass!" the wizard cried  
The sword was split, the whip flew wide  
The bridge was sundered side to side  
And into chasms deep they fell

And long they dropped, but grappled still  
With all their strength and all their will  
In the abyss beneath the hill  
And deeps where sunlight never shone  
And when they to the bottom came  
In pits of stone that have no name  
The waters doused the demon-flame  
And yet the two both battled on

Above, the land was seen to shake  
The very Earth would move and quake  
The mountains shuddered in their wake  
And ancient stones were split in two  
They fought upon the Endless Stair  
And climbed up to the sunlit air  
Upon the peak and duelled there  
Where Durin's Bane burned bright anew

The mountain top was hid in cloud  
And thunder rumbled long and loud  
White lightning struck Celebdil proud  
And danced around the fighting pair  
At last, the wizard smote his foe  
And threw it down into the snow  
To break upon the rocks below  
And fall to ash while lying there

The wizard passed into the night  
And wandered far from mortal sight  
Then reappeared, robed all in white  
So was the battle not in vain  
The king of eagles bore him then  
Off to the Elves in Lórien  
So came he back to Earth again  
To tell the tale of Durin's Bane


	3. The Hobbits' Homecoming Song

**THE HOBBITS' HOMECOMING SONG  
**Attributed to Samwise Gamgee  
Translated into the English of the Seventh Age by Irony-chan

* * *

From hearth and hole we've wandered far  
From mountains to the seas  
Through dwarven-mines and goblin-haunts  
Seen Orcs and Elves and Oliphaunts  
And woods of talking trees

But now our thoughts turn back to home  
With fires burning bright  
And how we long to lay our heads  
On pillows soft in feather beds  
And sleep there through the night

And soon we'll bathe in water hot  
With soap and brush in hand  
We'll wash away the journey's dirt  
And don a freshly laundered shirt  
Oh, won't that feel grand!

And how we've missed six meals a day  
We're looking forward to  
Sausages and fried tomatoes  
Gravy over mashed potatoes  
Piping mutton stew

We want to fill our favourite pipes  
And light the fragrant weed  
To sit and smoke beneath the moon  
And hum ourselves our favourite tune  
Is paradise indeed!

And then we'll sit in taverns warm  
With mugs of frothy beer  
We'll tell of places we have been  
And tales of the things we've seen  
For all who want to hear

We've took our fill of travelling  
No more our feet will roam  
Adventure's for the big and tough  
Us little folk have had enough  
And now we're going home


	4. The Shieldmaiden's Song

**THE SHEILDMAIDEN'S SONG  
**Composed by the Lady Ithilorn of Mirkwood, based on the account of her brother Legolas  
Translated into the English of the Seventh Age by Irony-chan

* * *

  
Proud Edoras with its wooden wall  
Stands high atop the hill  
Beyond it loom the mountains tall  
Before it all the praries crawl  
And there stands too the Golden Hall  
Where Rohan's king will sit until  
The lands of men shall fall 

And in the hall of Théoden King  
In shining Meduseld  
A maid like winter without spring  
With eyes that saw no cheerful thing  
And cared not what the day might bring  
In Edoras the maiden dwelled  
Her soul a-wandering

Her hair shone bright like palest gold  
Her eyes were thunder-gray  
Her face was lovely to behold  
She stood there fair and proud and cold  
A maid of secrets never told  
Of joyless day on joyless day  
Till all the world was old

For in her heart she longed to feel  
The thrill of battle's height;  
The ring of steel hitting steel  
Echoing like thunder's peal  
While men the fate of nations seal  
Such she dreamed in deeps of night  
And longed to see made real

But when at last arrived the day  
The Rohan went to war  
The soldiers set out on their way  
Beneath a sky all hung with gray  
But bid the maiden still to stay  
Secure behind the wooden door  
And far from the affray

And so she fetched her father's sword  
And stole her brother's helm  
She took a horse and climbed aboard  
To join the men who rode toward  
Where Gondor faced the Orkish horde  
That came to crush the ancient realm  
By order of their lord

The soldiers rode a day and night  
By light of moon and sun  
Past valley low and mountain height  
And when they reached the tower white  
They found amassed the Dark Lord's might  
The war already had begun  
They rushed to join the fight

The maiden's sword was swift and true  
Her strong heart did not tire  
Orcs and wicked men she slew  
While all around her arrows flew  
Her eyes of dim and faded blue  
Were brimming now with eager fire  
A-burning bright and new

But even as her heart took wing  
The maiden stayed her arm  
And saw she then the Nazgûl King  
The Dark Lord Sauron's blackest thing  
His voice like deathly bells did ring:  
"No man alive can do me harm!  
"It is thy doom I bring!"

Yet she, in mail all arrayed  
Looked in his baleful eye  
And answered, "I am not afraid  
"Of pain or death, or such a shade  
"No word from thee shall halt my blade  
"For see - no man alive am I  
"Thou lookst upon a maid!"

So with these words her sword she raised  
And fell upon the king  
Black fire all around her blazed  
The men in awe and wonder gazed  
Standing silent and amazed  
No man alive could slay the thing  
But she fought it as if crazed

The battle halted all around  
Like time had come apart  
The ringwraith king, with darkness crowned  
Just laughed and laughed, an awful sound  
'Til with her sword the maiden found  
The monster's black and withered heart  
His screaming shook the ground

Thunder split the smoky sky  
The field burned, blood-red  
As every ear and every eye  
There heard and saw the wraithking die  
And from the hordes went up the cry  
"The Nazgûl lord! The king is dead!  
"We're beaten - we must fly!"

They found the maid upon the plain  
As still and cold as death  
And yet did ghosts of life remain  
Though dulled by darkness and by pain  
Her blood still flowed through every vein  
And still the maiden's lips drew breath  
Unmoving, but not slain

But though physicians plied their art  
The maiden did not wake  
Each beating of her valiant heart  
Came slower, and in every part  
Her skin grew cold, 'til they lost heart  
Her life, it seemed, could not but break  
Her soul not but depart

Then Gondor's King came to her bed  
And with his healing words  
The maiden slowly stirred her head  
Her pale cheeks turned rosy red  
She opened up her eyes and said  
"I'll have no more of war and swords  
"I wish for peace instead."

From that day forth she turned her gaze  
From bloodshed and from strife  
She sought to learn a healer's ways  
To lighten hearts and spirits raise  
Her heart found cause anew to blaze:  
The steward's son took her to wife  
And they lived long, happy days


	5. Lament

**LAMENT**  
By an unknown elvish poet, late third age

The mountains tall  
Shall break and fall  
And crumble into dust  
The forests old  
Grow bare and cold  
Just as I know they must

The ocean wide  
Shall slow subside  
Until it's frozen through  
The sky in scars  
Until the stars  
Are not the ones I knew

Time slides away  
Swift night and day  
To leave me here alone  
The world be cleft  
With nowhere left  
That I might call my own

Time's winged feet  
Shall grow more fleet  
Through all the ages hence  
And in the end  
We can't pretend  
There's any innocence

So I move on  
And flee the dawn  
To sail across the sea  
An age away  
Is but a day  
Where looms eternity


End file.
